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A Message from g Founders Jason & Kim

October 3, 2014

Kim & I wanted to reach out and give you an update on the latest news from gHQ.

gDiapers is coming up to its 10 year anniversary.

In that time we have evolved from a small start up in a garden shed in Sydney, Australia with just Kim & I and an idea, to a company with teams in the US and UK, championing the ideals of Cradle to Cradle product design and the values of being a B Corporation selling via major retailers, boutiques and online retailers.

More recently however, we have been dealing with headwinds on multiple fronts. While we have done our best to keep things going and live up to all that we believe g can be, the last year in particular has been really hard as we tried to secure our future. This included creating a way for some of our existing investors to exit the company.

That journey wasn’t a straight or easy one. We were determined to find non-traditional sources of capital; we got distracted going down rabbit holes; and our refusal to ‘go mainstream’ almost took us down completely on more than one occasion. At the same time, all of this meant we were not focusing on the business we loved, so our troubles were compounding.

In this process, we also came to the realisation that to fulfill the promise of the company, we had to do things very differently. We had lost money for several years and we were spreading ourselves too thin. These things had to end.

But the light at the end of the tunnel is upon us. At the 11th hour, we have closed a round of funding that will allow some of our investors to exit (we will miss them a lot) and increase the commitment from two of our earliest investors and strongest supporters. They aren’t traditional investors and collectively have mortgaged or sold everything but their first-borns to make this happen. What this means is that our foundation is solid. But it in no way guarantees our future… that part is up to us. It is up to us to let parents know that alternatives to disposable diapers exist; that they don’t have to encase their babies in plastic 24/7; that they can buy products that can be home composted* rather than sit in landfill; and that they can demand companies be held to high ethical and environmental standards.

After a great deal of work, we now have a plan that will set us up for success. But in developing the plan, some very difficult decisions were made. In plain terms we needed to make choices about our team, our products and our partners. Like many things in life, what appears one way is in fact the opposite of that. From the outside, it may look like the company is sliding into a stage of instability but the reality is that we are now getting to a stable place where we can succeed as we once did and get back to providing what our customers expect.

Over the next 6 months you will see more developments from gDiapers all contributing to an evolution that will deliver the promise of the product and the company to you.

One last thing on a personal note. After ten years in Portland, Kim and I will be returning home to Sydney at the end of the year. We remain as committed as ever to g and are excited to be expanding the brand into Asia, but it is time to go home and be closer to family. g has always been a family friendly company and now we are taking that to the next level – globally.

We have always been transparent and will always be that way. If you have questions or comments, we welcome them. Please email Kim (kim@gdiapers.com) or myself (jason@gdiapers.com).